A Vampire In Waverly Place
by Ariadne Morag
Summary: Something strange is going on and everyone's personality is being affected by it. A girl named Raven transfers into Justin's class, and a vampire enters the city.
1. Smelly pop spell eww!

**A spell goes horribly wrong and causes a rip in the world rating rift. An 'R' rated vampire enters the world and who should be the first person he see's? None other than Justin Russo.**

--

Chapter one:(1) Smelly sock spell...eww!

Justin came running down stairs, his bookbag thrown over his shoulder. "Mom have you seen my shoes?" Alex had just walked out the front door and was headed for school, and Max was throwing things together to make the perfect sandwich for lunch.

Teresa looked up from her mail sorting. "How should I know? I don't wear them."

"Because, you were there when I took them off. I can't remember what room I was in." He thought hard about it and his shoulders started to ache from the stress of it. He threw his hands up and plopped down on one of the bar stools. "I can't go to school without shoes."

Max looked up. "Why don't you just magically appear you some more shoes."

"Absolutely not!" Jerry was just coming out of the Lair. "Magic is only to be used for emergencies."

"Dad!" Justin said, sounding more like a ten year old girl. Puberty hadn't failed in making him a bigger dork than he had always been. When his voice got high it squeaked. It had been like that for almost a month now, and he was hating it more each day. "This is an emergency. It's the biggest emergency of my life. I have a project due and I can't step foot on school ground without shoes."

Jerry opened his mouth to say something, but his wife cut him off. "Come on. It's not like he ever abuses magic. He's a good boy. Just this once?" She batted her eyelashes.

Justin looked at his dad and knodded. "...and im not being like Alex and doing it behind your back. I am asking for permission."

He started half sentences sounding like a broken record as he tried to come up with an excuse to say no, but in the end he couldn't. "Ok, but just this once."

"Thanks dad." Justin snapped his fingers and a pair of shoes that looked identical to his new Nikey's appeared on his feet.

"Eww. What stinks?" Max wrinkled his nose, then pinched it closed.

Justin was waving his hand infront of his nose. "It was the shoe spell that dad taught us awhile back. Remember the one that leaves an aweful smell behind."

"Gross! You mean the the smelly pop spell? Im out of here." He shoved his newly made sandwich in his lunchbox and ran out the front door.

"It doesn't smell that bad does it?" he asked his parents.

Teresa was back to sorting her mail and Jerry was watching over her shoulder. "Sure honey." Teresa said without looking up.

He made a face and headed toward the front door.

Chapter one:(2) Raven

Justin was just finishing his Math homework when Mr. Howard called everyone's attention to the front of the class.

"I have a special announcement. Tomorrow we will have a new student by the name of Raven. Raven..Well, there doesn't seem to be a last name on here, but im sure I'll find out tomorrow." He adjusted his spectacles and continued. "She's transferring here from a school for the gifted in Malibu. I would like all of you to make her feel welcome when she gets here. That is all. Back to work."

That was interesting. Justin wandered what she looked like. Would she be hot, or would she be...not so hot? He finished the last problem on his paper and turned it in. He asked to go to the library to finish looking up information for a report that was he was doing in his next class.

Mr. Howard beamed everytime Justin asked permission to get ahead in any class. "Of course you can. Here's a pass so you don't have to come back. Just go straight to your next class when the bell rings."

"Thanks." He took the pass and walked out of the class. He stopped when the door closed behind him. He always did that when he exited a class. It refreshed him for all the work and learning that he was going to do in his other classes.

"So kids? Did you learn anything interesting in school today?" Teresa folded her arms when neither Alex or Max acknowledged her. Alex was looking at herself in a mirror and applying her favorite lipgloss and Max had a magnifying glass infront of a jar that helled a gy-normous sized ant.

Teresa started tapping her foot and said, "Ahem!"

Alex put her index finger up meaning 'just one minute.' "Perfection takes time mom." She rubbed her lips together and blew a kiss at her reflection. "You go girl." She layed her mirror on the bar infront of her and smiled at her mother. "Now you were saying."

"Never mind." She started towards the stairs. "I have laundry to do. You two continue what you were doing."

She made a face clearly confused. Minor as it was, something about that whole situation was strange. It just seemed totally out of character in a way. She shrugged. It was probably nothing.

"Ah hah! Found 'em." Justin was on his knees with his sneekers in his lap. How had they gotten here? He didn't remember taking them off here. However, he couldn't remember exactly where he had taken them off, so he may well have. He stood up, sneekers in hand, and headed towards his room.

The next day at school Justin was talking to Mr. Howard when the door opened. "Oh hi."

Who walked through that door was a girl that Justin had never seen before, because he definantly would have remembered. Her hair was jet black and stretched all the way to her ankles. Her skin was the color of Mocha, her bright blue eyes shone like gems, and her pink lips were full and round. She was so beautiful that Justin had to pinch himself to make sure that he wasn't dreaming.

She stopped just inside the class. What was she doing? It only took him a second to figure out that she was examining the students. Mr. Howard pushed passed him and helled out his hand. "Hello. I am Mr. Howard and you must be Raven."

She shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you." Her voice surprised him. It wasn't at all like he had imagined it. He imagined that it might be soft and sweet to match the innocent look she pulled off. However, it was strong and confident. That didn't make him like her any less, though. It infact, made him like her even more.

Before he could stop himself he was walking towards her. "Hi im Justin." He took her hand out of Mr. Howards and shook it. "Your a goddess." Stammering, he tried to take back what he had just said. "I..i...ugh mean..it's nice to meet you."

She smiled and he thought he was going to explode. It was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. "It's nice to meet you Justin and thank you. I've never had anyone tell me that before."


	2. Meeting of The Most Highness

**Chapter Two: The Council Meeting Of The Most Highness**

"You have all sensed it! We need to do something immediately!" Madam Lunar slammed her fist on the table infront of her. She and five other council members were gathered in Death Valley. The non-magic folk were all convinced, thanks to the Wizarding Society, that it was just a dead place. If they only knew how much magic was here. It was everywhere. The air, the ground. It was the perfect place to protect them from any nosy company.

Sir Garette was looking into his crystal ball when a scream exploded from it. He and a few other council memebers jumped.

"That's got to be a bad sign." Tina Woo, the youngest of the members of The Most Highness, sqeaked. "I am scared. We have never dealt with anything like this before. What are we going to do?" She stood up and hugged herself. "The only thing that can close a rip in reality is the weapon that was created by Sterling Silver. She was my cousin you know?"

Everyone rolled their eyes. They all knew this. She made sure they did by making the same statement atleast once a day, and when she was in a really good mood, once every couple of hours.

Madam Lunar sucked on her tongue annoyed. The weapon Tina was talking about vanished when Sterling used it to seal ten rips in one day. She saved the world. Unfortunately, no one ever saw her again. That day was one of heroism and tragedy. There was an explosion that shook the planet and she was never heard from again. The only thing they found of hers was the silver bracelette she wore on her left hand.

"Incase you forgot Tina. I personally knew Sterling." Madam Lunar sat back down. "She was one of my closest friends. And that weapon was never recovered and you know that. So let's talk about things that can actually help us ok?" Her voice got soft as she remembered her dear friend and was reminded of how that wound had never completely healed.

Madam Anya and Raina both spoke at the same time. They gave each other a sour look. Being twins, they usually did this and hated it everytime. Anya crossed her arms and looked away. She stared at the darkness around them as her sister huffed and tried speaking again.

"Is it not possible for us to build a new weapon? It shouldn't be that hard. We possess magic do we not?

"Raina the only reason that Sterling was able to make that weapon was because it was her gift. She had a comprehension level way beyond our understanding. Do you know one person on this entire planet with that kind of knowledge?"

Raina shook her head. "Not that I know of ma'am."

"I know someone."

Everyone turned. "There." Anya pointed out a shape in the darkness.

Madam Lunar stood slowly. "Who are you? Show yourself."

She stepped forward and one of the light orbs left it's place to rest just above her head. She smiled as the orb turned pink. "It's pretty." She giggled.

"Sorry." She took another step forward and leaned over the table. "You all look surprised to see me. I never get tired of that reaction."

"You said that you..umm..." Madam Lunar pulled her cloak hat further over her face. She knew tears were coming. Her bottom lip was already beginning to tremble. She choked back a sob. "..that you..umm...knew something."

"Why Amanda. You're looking old. It's been what? Ten, twenty, thirty years?" She smirked at her old friend. Then, her expression went flat and turned into a piercing glare. "Yes. I know someone..on this planet as you'd put it. I never did understand why you all have to make things so dramatic."

She snapped her fingers and a chair appeared in front of her. She plopped down in it and kicked her feet up on the table. "His name is Justin Russo and he's exactly what you are looking for. He's the most clever boy of both the human and the wizarding world.

Sir Barneby spoke for the first time all night. "..and where exactly is this clever boy located?"

"In a sub shop on Waverly Place." She stood up and made a face at her chair. "I don't know what it is, but I can't make a comfortable chair."

"THANK YOU. WERE THROUGH HERE!" Madam Lunar was furious. No one had seen Sterling Silver in thirty-three years and she dared to show her face here acting like she was queen of the world. She clapped her hand and the meeting ended. Everyone was transported back to their homes, except for Sterling. She giggled and kicked a pebble acrossed the ground.


	3. Attack!

**Chapter 3: (1)**

"Justin you seem quiet this afternoon. Did something happen at school?"

Without looking up from his folded arms he shrugged.

Teresa scratched her head. "So, does that mean yes you do have a problem?" She knodded. "Or, no you don't have a problem?" She shook her head.

Justin made a face. There was that odd feelling again. It had happened the first time right after he had met Raven, then again on the bus when Alex had apologized for bumping into somebody. When had they started riding a bus? He hadn't thought much of it until now. "Mom." He finally asked.

"Yes?" She was leaning over to check the brownies in the oven.

"Have you noticed anything strange?"

She paused for a second. "No. Not that I can think of." She leaned closer. "Why? Did Alex or Max do something they weren't supposed to? Magic wise I mean?"

He let out an annoyed sigh. "No. Nothing like that. It's just... " He searched for the right words. "Something just seems to be off and I don't just mean little things. Im also talking about personalities."

She frowned. "Are you sure that you didn't bump your head too hard when you fell yestereday?"

"Mom!" He jumped our of his chair.

"What! What!" She put her hands on her hips. "Honey, im trying to understand you, but your going to have to be a bit more specific...and what's with the additude?"

"That's exactly what im talking about. I've been angry since yesteday. The tiniest little things set me off. I have absolutely no reason to be angry. None!"

"Wow. Are we playing charades. Let me guess. A bird that fell out of it's nest, and never quit learned to fly." Alex had her hip cocked to one side and was using her hands to immatate Justin's motions.

Justin clicked his tongue. "Atleast, I didn't have a reason to be angry."

"Hey, I wanna play." Max was just entering the shop. He closed the distance and stood by Alex.

"This isn't a joke." Justin snatched his backpack up. "Im serious. Something is way off and it's obvious that neither of you believe me." He stormed upstairs.

Alex plopped down in Justin's seat. "What was that all about?"

Teresa shrugged. "Im not really sure. Your brother thinks that something strange is going on."

Alex threw her hands up in a defensive posture. "Does it have to do with magic, because this time I didn't do it."

"What's going on in here?" Jerry had two huge sandwhiches, one in each hand.

"Hey, dad can I have that one?" Max was pointing to the sandwhich in his fathers left hand. "It looks fatter."

"Max. Fatter isn't even a word." Alex was flipping through a new version of Teen Wizard On Earth's Fashion Magazine (A Cheap Version Of Vogue).

Jerry handed the sandwhich to Max. "So what is going on. I thought I heard Justin shouting.

Sounding bored Alex filled him in with her version of what her mother had told her that her brother had said. "Apparently, Justin is losing it. Blah blah. He thinks that something weird is going on."

"Something wierd. Like what? Magic wise?"

She shrugged.

"Maybe you should go talk to him." Teresa looked at her husband.

"Maybe your right." He started towards the stairs, but stopped when Justing flew past him and out of the shop without so much as a hello or goodbye. he looked at his wife with a concerned expression.

She shrugged.

**Chapter one: (2)**

He had been at the park for over and hour now and he couldn't shake the sense that something was wrong. His butt was numb from sitting on the ground for so long, so he stood up and began to pace. The sun was setting and the temperature was starting to drop. He wasnted to go home, but he didn't want to see his family. For some reason they infuriated him right now. Maybe, just maybe, it was because they didn't believe him.

Never in his life had been the one to make up story's, unlike his prim and perfect sister Alex. She infuriated him the most. Always getting her way. A family wasn't supposed to pick favorites. He ground his heels into the ground furiously. The grass withered under his shoe and clay covered the bottom of his shoe.

"Hello?" He froze. "Is there someone there?"

Leaves ruffled in the distance off to his left. He wasn't the one to hear things when he was alone, so there was definantly someone watching him. He started digging through his backpack. "Im not afraid of you who ever you are. I have a...a..." He jerked a metal object out of his pack and helled it up. "..a flashlight."

"A flashlight?"

He squealed and spun around with the flashlight helled over his head.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Your so pathetic. What were you planning on doing? Shinning me to death?"

He let out a breath of relief and regained his composure. "You would be surprised the bodily damage that a flashlight can cause." He put put the flashlight back into his backpack and slung it over his shoulders.

"Mmhmm. sure." She blew on her nails and buffed them on her sleeve. "Can we go now? Im tired of watching you through the bushes. Did you know that some of them have thorns?"

He shook his head. "..and you call me pathetic." The grass crunched under his feet as he headed home. He could smell the dew beginning to form as night grew stronger around him. "How long have you been watching me?"

She had to run to keep up with his quick stride. "For oh...since you left. Would you slow down."

"No! Im angry at you."

"Why?"

"Because you don't believe me." He walked faster and smiled as she fell a few feet behind.

"Hey, stop!" She yelled.

He slowed down a little, but kept walking.

"Thanks." She said sounding out of breath. "For a minute there I thought you were going to leave me."

"I should." He snapped.

It happened without warning and he had a split second to react. He pushed Alex off of her feet to make himself the only direct target. A shadow slammed into him and he felt himself falling. Pain exploded in his chest at the same time that he felt sharp teeth sink into his shoulder. He struggled to breath as the thing continued to hold him down.

Alex flew to her feet and spells began to fly out of her mouth before she could even began to think about what was happening. None of them worked. She conjured a stick big enough to do some serious damage, but not too big for her to hold up. When it connected with the things head it shattered, but the thing didn't budge.

"Alex.." Justin's voice was weak. "Don't. You...run..."

She was crying now. "I won't leave you here to die." Wiping her tears away roughly she racked her brain for anything that would be affective. Out of all the things her dad had taught her, none of them were any good here. She felt more tears fall as she realized that there was nothing she could do and that her brother was going to die. "Im sorry Justin." It felt like her lips were moving on there own and that her brain was on a different level. "I don't know what else to do."

Justin clawed at the things back trying to gather enough strength to push it off. He jumped as the teeth pressed deeper into his shoulder. Suddenly, he had an idea. "Light Alex. He barely managed to wisper. "The light."

Alex snapped out of her state and snatched up Justin's backpack. She dug around until she found the flashlight. "Take this you creepy son-of-a-bitch." She clicked on the flashlight and pointed it into the things face.

The creature released it's hold on Justin and let out a loud screetching sound as the smell of burnt flesh scortched the air around them. He was half way acrossed the park before Alex could blink and it drifted back slowly and eventually she couldn't see it at all. She watched the place it had disappeared through until she was satisfied it wasn't coming back, then rushed to Justin's side.

"Justin open you eyes. Can you hear me?" He didn't respond. "Justin."

This was the only time in the history of owning a cell phone brought actual tears of joy. She dialed the home number and checked her brothers kneck for a pulse. She found one, but it wasn't as strong as a normal heartbeat should be.

"Hello?" It was Max.

"Max this is an emergency! I need to speak to dad now!" She knew that she sounded frantic, but how else was she supposed to sound? Her brother had been attacked by some cloaked thing and she had no idea if it was lurking around and waiting to spring again. Justin wasn't only hurt, but he was unconscious and..."

"Alex..hell..Alex what's wrong?"

She felt hot tears run down her cheek at the sound of her dad's voice. "Dad. Some shadow thing attacked Justin. It sank it's teeth into him just like a vampire or something. He's unconscious and I don't know what to do."

Jerry told her to calm down and that he'd be there in a jiffy. "Now, where exactly at the park are you at?"

She looked around. "Um..were by the swings on that really thick grass that we had that picknick at last year." It was odd that they ended up here. "Strange."

"What is sweety?" Jerry was confused.

"Nothing dad." Alex said, realizing that she had spoken out loud. "Just hurry up. Im so scared."

She didn't think she had ever been this scared in her entire life. Her body was shaking and her teeth were chattering. Fear was like a coldness that settles over you even though it's warm out.

**Chapter three: (3)**

"Oh my poor baby!"

"Please Teresa stand back. I have to work here." Jerry was examining the two puncture holes in Justins shoulder. His wife had been frantic since Alex's phone call and Max was unusually quiet. "Alex how's that potion coming?"

A medium sized, black cauldron was bubbling infront of her. She added a few more pinches of fairy dust and stirred the mix. She was way too upset to reply, so she just made a noise to let them know that it was coming along.

"Dad." Max said. His voice was low, but Jerry heard him ok. "If that wasn't a vampire that attacked Justin.." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "..Then what was it?"

"Not now Max." Jerry splashed alcohol on Justin's wounds. He didn't even flinch. "This think must have drained alot of blood out of him, because that should have hurt like hell."

"Jerry!" Teresa was appalled. "When did you start using such language?"

A huge flash of light exploded though the room. They all sheilded their eyes. When they could see again all eyes went to Alex. She was coughing and waving her hands in front of her face.

"Was that supposed to happen?" She asked between coughs.

"Unfortunately." Was Jerry's reply. He was adding more alcohol to Justin's wounds.

Her dad hadn't looked at her since they had managed to get Justin to Waverly Place and she couldn't stop the tears that began to fall. Nor could she stop the words that flew out of her mouth. "Thanks for the warning then." She screamed and rushed out of the room.

Teresa wanted to comfort Alex, but she couldn't make her legs move. She just had to be sure that Justin was going to be ok. "Jerry, how bad off is he? And don't you dare lie to me."

He stood up and walked over to the potion. "As long as I get this potion into him he should be fine.

"He should be?" She grew angry. "What dows that mean Jerry? Is my baby going to live or turn into turn into one of those shadow things.? Talk to me!"

"Teresa calm down." He put the tip of a syringe into the potion and pulled the end back. Blue liquid flowed into the tube until it was full. "He'll be fine I promise."

She didn't say anything else as she watched Jerry press the needle into each of the puncture wounds on Justin's kneck, injecting half of the potion into each.

"Now, everything is going to be fine." Gently, he lifted Justin's body and carried him up the stairs and to his room. He tucked him into his bed and closed the blinds befor he left the room. He was going to wake up with one major headache.

Max made himself a sandwhich and ate it while images of real shadow creatures ran through his head. Up until now, he had never really been afraid in his life. Not like this. Closet monsters were one thing, but this...It was on a whole new level. He finished his sandwhich and started looking for Alex. He didn't want to be alone any more.


	4. Enter Harper

**Chapter Four: (1) Enter Harper**

Harper smiled as images of Justin ran through her head. She was flipping through a scrapbook she had pieced together. It was July when she began collecting some of Justin's belongings such as an old gym sock and a hanky he had used to blow his nose on, to add to the photo's of her and Alex, and it was the last day of December when she had finished it. Now, six months later she had decided to give it a good looking over and change the love and fruit theme to one based soley on Justin's eyes and his smile.

"Ah, Justin." she kissed one of his pictures and pasted it into her book. "One day were going to be married and have lots of kids and move to the country, so that we can live out our life long dream of owning horses and puppies. Her fantasy lasted for the better part of the day and would have continued if her phone hadn't rang. She closed the scrapbook and gently placed it into it's specially designed box and picked up the handset.

"Hello?" Alexs' voice came over the other end and she listened calmly. "Ok. I'll be over there in a few. Are you sure your ok?" She sounded a bit stuffy and Harper wanted to be assured that her friend hadn't been crying. No such luck. She heard her sniffle before she hung up. Her sister instincts kicked in and adrenaline flowed through her veins. She was out the door and on Waverly Street before she knew it.

"Alex!" She called when she rushed into the sandwhich shop. "Alex?"

"Harper you look flushed honey." Teresa told her to take a seat and that she'd get her a glass of water.

"Thank you Mrs. Russo, but im looking for Alex. She sounded like she had been crying when she spoke to me on the phone and I just really want to make sure that she's ok."

Teresa lead Harper to a seat and made her sit. "You can't even speak without sucking in loads of air with every word. Now, sit here and I'll be right back."

She felt aweful about this. Here Alex was probably lying face down on her bed crying her eyes out and she was sitting here waiting for a glass of clear Heaven to cure her parched throat.

"Here you go sweety." She handed Harper a tall glass full of ice cold water. She drank it quickly and handed the glass back to her.

"Thank you so much Mrs. russo, but I really have to find Alex." She rushed it all together, so that Teresa didn't exactly hear everything she said, but she got the idea of it. She dropped the glass in the sink and went to find Jerry.

The stairs clanked as she took them two at a time. "Alex." she called as she ran down the hallway, "Alex." she yelled as she burst into her room.

Alex was curled up at the end of her bed and the first thing that Harper noticed was the huge hat covering half of her face.

"What took you so long?" Alexs' voice was low and nasally.

"Your mom made me drink some water or I would have been here five and a half minutes earlier. She took a deep breath and sat down on the edge of the bed. "So are you going to tell me why I gave up my scrapbooking and rushed over here.

Alex made a face. "Eew! Your talking about the one that you stole Justin's hanky for. Aren't you?"

She grinned animatedly. "No. I don't do stuff like that anymore. I swear." From her friends expression she knew that she'd been caught. She felt a blush start to creep up her kneck.

"I knew it." Alex pulled the hat off and turned it up towards the light.

Harper recognized it immediately. "Hey that's Justin's hat." She squeaked. "Why do you have it?"

"I just wanted to..." She came up with an answer that wouldn't make Harper suspicious. "..make sure that Justin couldn't find it for awile. Harper smiled and said, "Speaking of Justin. Where is he?"

She panicked. Justin was still unconsious from his attack and she never should have invited Harper over. There were too many weird things happening around the shop right now. Actually, come to think of it, there were weird things happening everywhere. "He's..." What could she say? Anything other than the truth, but that would mean lying to her best friend. Something she'd never done before. She settled with something close to the truth. "Not feeling well and hasn't left his room today. Dad says that it's a stomache virus and Justin is embarrassed, so he told us all to stay away from his room until he's better." There she had done it. It wasn't far from the truth and she only felt a small pang of guilt.

"Your dad says? That's kind of weird."

Crap. Leave it to Harper to over analyze things. "Never mind that. Im hungry. We should go eat somewhere."

"Oo, yeah. Im starved for chinese food." Harper put her hand to her head.

"Are you ok?"

"No. I have this huge headache." She felt woozy. "Alex. Im sorry, but I think I should go home."

About that time she swayed back. Alex caught her from falling off of the edge of the bed. "Harper are you ok?" She didn't answer. "Harper open your eyes. Harper?" Her voice was so low that Alex couldn't understand her. That's when it hit her. Fear. She started screaming for her parents.

--

**Chapter Four: (2)**

It turns out that Harper wasn't the only one who had fainted for no apparent reason. Max was found by the bar. Jerry and Alex tried to revive both of them with smelling salts and horrible smelling potions. He even tried a waving a sandwhich under Max's nose. Neither one of them responded.

Alex was pacing through the lobby. Back and forth, back and forth. She couldn't wrap her head around what was happening. Things were changing. Everyone was changing right before her eyes.

The world just didn't feel the same. It was darker and more..more..more what. Dark? Yeah, that was the word. Dark. Her head ached with stress as she pondered all of the thoughts and fears running through her mind.

"What are we going to do?" Teresa said through tears. All three of her children had been hurt with in the last three days and she felt helpless.

Gerry mixed a few ingredients together in one of Teresa's blue cooking bowls. He filled two viles full of the potion and waved them under both Harper and Maxs' nose. He ground his teeth when neither one of them so much as twitched their nose.

That was it. Teresa couldn't hold the tears in any longer. She covered her face as she cried. Alex watched as her father just sat there. He wasn't paying her mother any attention and she didn't like it. "DAD!" she yelled.

He looked up shocked that she had yelled at him. "What?"

She pointed at her mother. "She's crying and you haven't even noticed. You were mean to me the other day when Justin was unconscious and you didn't even apologize for that. What is wrong with you?"

He narrowed his brows. "I don't know what you mean. I wasn't mean to you the other day Alex. I was trying to take care of your brother, so that he didn't become one of those things."

"..and by things you mean vampires?" She asked cautiously.

"Yeah." He knodded as he spoke.

"Ah hah! I knew it. Your lieing to us too." Alex said angrily. "What are you trying to pull here. Is this all your doing?"

He was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Im talking about you telling us that it wasn't a vampire, and all of the weird things that are happening here." She stamped her foot and crossed her arms. "I don't trust you anymore. Something is going on rather you want to admit it or not. ..and how can you not? Just look around."

"Their is nothing going on here Alex." Gerry stood up and walked around the bar. He started searching for something.

Alex got a strange feeling and started backing up. "What are you looking for dad?"

"Yes Gerry. What are you looking for?" Teresa wiped her tears away and stood beside her daughter. Confusion consumed her face and her body as Gerry found what he was looking for.

He helled a butcher's knife up and turned it towards the light.

"Gerry. Why do you need a knife?" Teresa asked, backing towards the door.

Alex felt her fear slip away. She stopped shaking and looked around for anything that she could defend herself with. Besides chairs and tables, their was nothing.

"Now, I have heard enough of your two's bickering. I am ashamed of both of you. Lying through your teeth. The world doesn't change. Only the people in it do. I am going to make both of you wish that you weren't sinners. Im going to make you pay." His voice was husky and cold as he threatened his family. He started for them.

Alex was afraid to turn her back to him, so she just pulled her mother towards the door while facing him. "I don't understand why your doing this Gerry. What's wrong with you?" Teresa was so confused that it was hard to make her legs keep walking.

"This man isn't my father. His mind is twisted and turned to that of another world. Stop him in his tracks until all is as it should be and he is the same. His limbs and thoughts are non-working, and lay their as if in stone." As Justin spoke these words the shop started to grow darker. The paint on the wall molted and rolled down the walls. Some of the chairs broke and the tables turned over.

Gerry grabbed his throat as if he couldn't breath and felt his body hardening. His insides turned cold and he fell to his knees. He didn't speak because his transformation had erased his voice. He had no thoughts as his sight became grey. His body rose a few feet off the ground until it was completely straight and a white light covered him completely. When the light stopped he was a grey statue.

Justin helled his wounded shoulder as he walked down the stairs. It hurt to have two holes in your body. Every time he breathed the holes would sting. He knocked on the stone that used to be his father.

"What did you do to him?" Alex walked a circle around her father. "How is this spell possible? It's so.."

"Extreme." Justin finished.

"Yeah." She looked around the shop at the walls and everything else that had changed.

"Were in a different world now Alex." Justin noticed Max and Harper's figures and headed towards them.

"Both of you stop right there." Teresa was furious and scared and confused.

They both stopped and looked at their mother.

"What is going on here?" She felt tears forming in her eyes again. "Your father is stone and you two are acting like this is all normal."

"I don't know what's going on either mom." Alex admitted. "It just..." How was she supposed to explain that she had changed with in the last few minutes and that she wasn't afraid of anything anymore?

Justin swallowed and felt the familiar stinging in his shoulder. "Listen mom. I will explain everything that's going on.."

"How do you know what's going on? You have been asleep since yesterday." She sat down on one of the few chairs that wasn't broken or wabbling.

"I was unconscious not sleeping and I said I'll explain it later." He turned towards Max and Harper and knelt down by their heads.

"Fine. What ever." Teresa felt tired all of a sudden and yawned.

"Listen Alex. The reason that Max and Harper are like this is, because in this world that is parallel to ours. You know what that means right?" Justin looked at her. She knodded and he continued. "Well, here neither one of them is alive anymore. That means that our Max and Harper's bodies couldn't connect with the Max and Harper here and it makes it impossible for them to be awake."

"Im confused." Alex was scratching her head.

"Ok. Two souls of two worlds have to coexist as one and they can't so they don't have enough energy to wake up. Get it?" Justin's voice was different. He wasn't geeky and annoying, he was firm and ..well, non-geeky.

"Yeah. Now, I do." Alex understood some of it, but she wasn't going to tell him that and feel like an idiot.

"Im going to bed now." Teresa was already heading the stairs.

Justin lifted Harper, because she was the heaviest and told Alex to get Max. They carried Max to his room and tucked him in and put Harper in Alex's room and tucked her in. When Justin started back down the stairs Alex asked him where he was going.

"Im going to the kitchen." He answered. "Im starving." She decided to join him when she realized that she was hungry to.


	5. Shade Hour

**Chapter 5: Shade Hour (Part 1)**

**Teresa was sprawled on her bed feeling myserable. She had been staring at the ceiling for the last half hour and no matter how much she tried to block out the events of the past few days she couldn't. Most of all, she desperately wanted to wake up and find that she was having a nightmare.**

**Her eyes wandered from the ceiling to the faded walls, with their sagging wall paper, and felt the tears return to her eyes. Her family had been destroyed in only three days and there was nothing she could do about it. She turned over and buried her head in the pillow. Sobs tore through her until she sunk into a deep, almost comatosed sleep.**

**Alex and Justin were downstairs discussing their next move. **

**"Why don't we just use magic to transport ourselves back to our world?" Alex asked. She was sitting on the bar looking bored. Every now and then her eyes would wander to the grey hunk of stone that used to be her father. **

**Justin glared at her through the pile of various pieces of metal and wire. He hated repeating himself. "For the last time," he began angrily, "This is our world. It's just warped with another world, because of a rip in reality."**

**Her eyes narrowed on him and asked, "What could possibly cause a rip in reality?" She said the last three words like they would sting her if she spoke them too loudly.**

**"Im not to sure." He wasn't going to tell her that what ever could do such damage to a reality barrier was powerful and it was going to take more than two teenage wizards to stop it.**

**More of a statement than a question, Alex said, "I wander how mom's taking all of this?" She glanced at the spiral of stairs as she spoke.**

**"Where's my screw-driver?" Justin glared at Alex and repeated his question more forcefully. "Where is it?"**

**"I don't know. How would I?" She picked up a small piece of metal and turned it over admiring the square, green stone on each side. "What kind of metal is this? It's not the usual junk your usually tinkering with." She cricked an eyebrow. When had she ever used the word 'tinkering' before? Never! This was getting even more odd by the minute. Justin didn't seem to notice as he took the metal out of her hand and put it back in the pile.**

**"It's emerald retractor stone." he said, sounding bored.**

**"Why do you insist on saying things that continue to confuse me?" He wasn't listening and she barred her teeth at him. She actually growled at him as she jumped off the bar and headed towards the door. Her lungs were craving fresh air. **

**Justin's voice startled her as she reached for the door-handle. Wide-eyed, she spun around and was surprised to see him right beside her. "How'd you get over here so fast?" Her voice was high and panicky.**

**He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from the door. "Do not go out there!" **

**"Don't tell me what to do." **

**"Im serious!" His voice was desperate. "If you go out there before the 'Shade Hour' you'll be stuck between worlds and become a ghost and I'll have to do all of this alone." **

**She was unsure of one thing? "What are you trying to tell me?"**

**He took a deep breath. "Your my sister. My partner in all of this. I don't want you to become a ghost and...I love you. I want you to be safe."**

**Slightly touched by his heart-warming words she scoffed. "Noo..I was talking about 'Shade Hour.' What is that?"**

**A blush crept up his kneck. She was a real piece of work. Here he was spilling out his feelings and she had the nerve to brush it over her shoulder like it didn't matter if he cared about her safety or not. He made a strangling motion with his hands.**

**She leaned away from him. "Jeeze. What's your problem?" **

**"Do not go out that door!" With his temper rising he stormed up the spiral of stairs and headed towards his room.**

**Alex was confused. What was a 'Shade Hour' and why was Justin so mad at her?**

**It wasn't until the next day that she found out what a 'Shade Hour' really was. She was just coming out of the bathroom with a towel on her hair and was heading towards the stairs when the floor started to vibrate. It was soft at first and she thought that she might have imagined it. Then, the same funny feeling that she had felt before began to form in the pit of her stomache and her eyes strained against the change that began to take place right before her eyes. **

**The vibrancy of the wallpaper zoomed up the walls in small lines and streaked out like veins. She panicked as her vision strained against the change and rapidly blinked in and out. Then, she was blind. "Justin." She could barely get her words to form as her chest began to tighten. She couldn't breath. "Help me." She wasn't sure if she said the words aloud or just thought them and that was the last thought on her mind as she lost consciousness.**

**Justin had heard Alex call him, but it had been strange, like she was far away. He zipped up the stairs and stopped a foot away from Alexs' head. He shook her until she opened her eyes and blinked up at him.**

**"What happened?" she asked softly.**

**"About you passing out or the fact that the world is in a 'Shade Hour'?" He helped her to her feet.**

**Her head was a little foggy and she stumbled a few times before she got her balance back. She held on to Justin's arm and asked, "How's mom?"**

**"She's sleeping still." he answered. "Im kind of worried about her. Do you think you can walk now?"**

**"I think so." She pushed away from him and felt steady enough. "So, how long is this 'Shade Hour' going to last? ..and for the last time...What is a 'Shade Hour'?"**

**He gave her an evil look. "It's an hour between each relapse of the worlds combining that everything goes back to normal. It won't happen very many times, so we have to do what we can during those hours."**

**She threw her hands up in surrender. "I still didn't understand what you said. I have an idea. How about you just tell me what to do and I do it."**

**He started to do the strangle motion again, then he realized what she had proposed and knodded. "Fine, but you have to do exactly what I tell you and no exceptions."**

**"Ok."**

**"Mom." Alex shook her mother gently. "Mom, wake up." She felt dred building in her stomache. "Justin, I think you had better get in here." **

**He popped his head in the room. "What is it?"**

**"She's not waking up. What's wrong with her." She was freaking out.**

**"Calm down." He checked his mother's pulse, it was fine, then he touched her forhead with the back of his hand. Her temperature was normal. "She's been through alot in the last couple of days. First, me, then the way dad treated you, Max, Harper, and dad. She's earned a pass to sleep for enternity if she wanted.**

**Her eyes stung with tears as she remembered how her dad had threatened them. She rubbed the chills that formed on her arms. "Justin, why weren't we scared yesterday?"**

**He had been thinking about that same thing all last night and this morning. "I don't know." he admitted. "I guess that what ever kind of personalities our parallel selves have, their a lot more brave than we are."**

**"Can't that be dangerous?"**

**For once she had asked a smart question. "Yeah, it could. Eventually, we'll become exactly like them. Each time the world turns a little more of our personalities will fade away."**

**A thought struck her. "You don't think that mom's behavior is based on her parallel self do you?"**

**"What behavior and when did you start using big words like that?"**

**"Seriously." She shook her mom again. "Mom doesn't ever sleep this long."**

**He pondered that for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I don't think so. What ever effects she got from the other world mom would be gone right now."**

**"Would you two please stop talking." Teresa's voice was thick with sleep and moody.**

**Alex was so happy to hear her mother's voice that she nearly cried and Justin let out a deep sigh of relief.**

**"I am so tired and you two have big mouths."**

**"Sorry mom." They said in unison. They started to walk away.**

**"Oh, don't bother to stop talking now." She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Im already awake."**


	6. A Plan Is Formed

Justin had been calculating the time between reality and the last two Shade Hours. It seemed that it had decreased by three minutes but he couldn't be positive about that until a third change happened.  
"What are we waiting for?" Alex asked. "I'm bored."  
He wrinkled his nose in annoyance. "You'll live."  
She rolled her eyes and started examining her nails. "When can we leave here?" She eyed him and added, "Seriously! I want to know what's happening."  
He shrugged. for some reason he just didn't feel like explaining it to her just yet. She'd just ask a ton of questions and his tolerance level was practically non-existant. "I'll tell you when the third change happens."  
This seemed to please her because she ticked her head to one side and returned her attention to her nails.  
Eighteen hours later the next change happened. Justin had calculated as much, but he jumped up and down when he was proven right.  
"Big woop!" Alex said sarcastically. "Your always right anyway."  
He checked his watch and frowned. The only drawback to his being right meant that they had three minutes less than they had before. "You have your bag ready, right?" Alex was half asleep at the bar. Her head was propped in her hands and she kept knodding off. She opened one eye, knodded, then closed it back. "Why?"  
He grabbed his bookbag and slung it over his shoulders. He had packed snacks and one pair of clean clothes, including a fresh pair of socks. "Because we have exactly seventeen hours and fifty seven minutes to get to Death Valley."  
She looked frightened for a second. "That's they 'All Magickal Vally' right?"  
"Yeah, I'm surprised that you even know that. Curiously, he asked, "How do you know that?"  
She smiled. "I do pay attention occasionally and this paticular time Dad just happened to be talking about Death Valley and the Council Of The Most Highness."  
He had to admit that he was impressed by her for the first time, which was weird.

"Where are you two going?" Theresa was coming down the stairs. She got to the bottom and crossed her arms. "..because if you think for one second that I am going to just let you two go out there by yourselves, your nuts."  
"Mom, you can't to with us." Justin said quickly.  
She let out a tiny laugh. "..and why not?"  
"Because.." Alex began, "This is a job for wizards and..." She struggled for a second to come up with a good answer. Finally, it came to her. "Because, mom. As dangerous as you think it is for us to go out there it's twice as dangerous for you."  
"Yeah." Justin cut in. "We cant ake care of ourselves, buy you can't."  
"...and you seen what Justin did to dad." Alex blurted out. She instantly regretted it when her mother frowned, but she continued. "I know that's aweful, but he's only frozen and just like him we all have to agree that we feel the changes inside of us since we got here."  
Justins mouth was hanging open. He couldn't believe that Alex had just made a plausible statement. "When did you get so smart?"  
She flipped her hair behind her shoulder and posed. "I have smarts. I just choose not to use it sometimes."  
"Well, I don't care how smart you are." Theresa said matter-of-factly. "Neither one of you are going out there without me and that's final.  
Justin had expected as much. for a split second he realized how often he had been right lately. Then, he racted. He pointed both of his index fingers towards his mother. "Theresa, such a bothersome you shall be, so I suspend you in this space until we have arrived at our destination place." Gray sparks left his hands and formed a square of magic around Theresa's feet.  
When the spell took affect her face froze in a temporary mask of shock.  
"I cannot believe you just cast a spell on mom." Alex was wide eyed at the sight of her unresponsive mother. "First dad and now this?" She looked at Justin. "What is happening to us?"  
He didn't answer right away. He hated to voice the cause aloud. When he spoke his voice was stressed with worry. "We're becoming people who have probably done way horrible things. Once you cross a certain line there is no going back." He was most afraid that this transformations might have a line of it's own and if they reached that line they ight become horrible monsters with no way back. He kept that part to himself. Now use worrying Alex anymore than she already was.  
"Come on ." Justing started towards the door.  
Alex took one last look at her parents and turned to follow him. "Shouldn't we cast some sort of protection just incase dad unfreezes and tries to kill again, or incase mom unfreezes and thinks about leaving the sandwhich shop?"  
He thought about that for a second. HIs spells were strong and reliable. He had doubt about that, but it was always better to be asafe than sorry. "Yeah stand back."  
Alex took a step back.  
Justing felt a strange sensation spread through his arms. He couldn't interpret the feeling behind the sensation, but he could tell one thing from it. He was growing stronger. A smirk spread acrossed his face and he felt extremely calm. "This place is a safe haven for those that are good and pure. Evil shall be contained inside this place of a seperate domain. Once all is as it should be this spell shall cease to exist and we'll all be reunited with no memory of this."  
The wals began to glow with an iridescent light and the floor throbbed with a black as dark as night. Justin felt the negativity in the room, but just below the surface of the purity part of the spell. Evil couldn't break through and the safety was on permanent high alert.  
Alex's head spun for a few seconds. "Wow, I haven't felt that much power since..well, ever. How did you get so much power?"  
He ignored her question and stepped out side. The air smelled dank and wet. His nose twitched in distaste. Alex stepped out behind him. She sniffed the air and sneezed. "I hate this. Let's just go to Death Valley and get this over with."  
"Stop being whiney." Justin hitched his backpack higher and started walking.  
"Wait, Justing." Alex stepped infront of him.  
He glared at her. "What? We don't have time for chitchat."  
She barred her teeth at him and yelled, "You can drop your damn attitude Just-tin! Ok? How the hell are we going to get to Death Valley in our alloted time on foot, huh?"  
He was speechless. When he found his voice again he asked sarcastically, "What's with the language, and damnit I know what we're doing. I have this feeling and I'm following it. If you want to follow suit then shut up and let's go and if not then take a hike and I'll do it myself." He stormed ahead and kept following his gut. Alex felt and and like crying. Why were they fighting and had she just said alloted time? That was too strange to even analyze. She hurried to catch up. He was always right, so why did she keep questioning him?  
"Justin, wait up!" 


End file.
